CENTENNIAL    ADDRESS. 
1783  —  1883. 


THE 


MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY  OF  THE  CINCINNATI. 


CENTENNIAL   ADDRESS. 

1883. 


1783-1883. 

€I)e  iflassacbusetts  gujcietp  of  tfoe  Cincinnati. 


UAN  HISTOEICAL  ADDRESS 


DELIVERED    ON    THE    OCCASION 
OF 

THE  CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 

S 
AT    BOSTON,    MASSACHUSETTS, 

JULY  4,  1883, 

BY    SAMUEL    C.  JDOBB, 

PRESIDENT. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY   ORDER  OF   THE    SOCIETY. 
1883. 


Cambrtfige : 

PRINTED   BY   JOHN    WILSON   AND    SON, 
UNIVERSITY   PRESS. 


AT  the  Centennial  Dinner  of  the  MASSACHUSETTS 
SOCIETY  of  THE  CINCINNATI,  given  at  Boston  July  4,  1883, 
on  motion  of  Mr.  WILLIAM  H.  SAVAGE,  seconded  by  Mr. 
DANIEL  C.  LILLIE,  it  was  unanimously  voted  that  the 
Historical  Address  delivered  this  day  by  the  President,  be 
printed,  and  that  a  cop}7  thereof  be  sent  to  each  member 
of  the  Society. 

Attest : 

DAVID  G.   HASKINS,  JR., 

Assistant  Secretary. 


ADDRESS. 


BROTHERS  OF  THE  CINCINNATI  : 


HPHE  pleasant  duty  devolves  upon  me  of  welcoming 
you,  which  I  do  most  cordially,  to  this  reunion  of 
the  MASSACHUSETTS  CINCINNATI. 

Besides  the  pleasures  that  are  wont  to  attend  these 
annual  gatherings,  it  is  our  privilege  to-day  to  perform 
a  most  grateful  service,  in  taking  note  of  the  fact  that 
this  honored  Institution  has  recently  completed  the 
first  century  of  its  existence.  I  am  sure  you  would 
hardly  forgive  me,  —  indeed,  I  should  consider  myself 
to  be  remiss  in  the  performance  of  my  duty,  —  if  I  did 
not  take  occasion  at  this  time  to  glance  briefly  at  some 
of  the  facts  and  incidents  connected  with  the  history  of 
this  Society. 

There  is  in  our  archives  a  paper  in  the  well-known 
handwriting  of  General  Henry  Knox,  with  this  indorse- 
ment :  "  Rough  Draft  of  a  Society  to  be  formed  by 
the  American  Officers,  and  to  be  called  '  The  Cincin- 
nati.' "  It  is  dated  "  West  Point,  April  15,  1783."'  It 


covers  eight  foolscap  pages,  and  exhibits  various  era- 
sures and  interlineations,  but  is-  in  substance  the  same 
as  the  present  Institution.  The  discovery  of  this  inter- 
esting document,  the  existence  of  which  was  long 
unknown,  settled  the  question  which  had  sometimes 
been  asked  as  to  who  was  the  founder  of  the 
Cincinnati  ? 

The  idea  of  forming  such  an  organization  was  at  first 
supposed  to  have  been  suggested  by  Baron  Steuben,  as 
stated  in  Judge  Burke's  famous  pamphlet,  entitled 
"  Considerations  on  the  Order  or  Society  of  the  Cincin- 
nati ; "  but  this  is  shown  to  be  an  error  by  the  Baron's 
letter  to  Knox  of  Nov.  11,  1783,  in  which,  referring  to 
Burke's  assertion,  he  says,  "  He  makes  me  author  and 
grand-master  of  the  Cincinnati ;  this  is  whipping  you 
over  my  shoulders."  1  Brigadier-General  Huntington, 
of  Connecticut,  who  was  one  of  the  committee  to  con- 
sider and  report  upon  the  original  draft  of  the  Institu- 
tion, probably  had  a  hand  in  revising  and  shaping  the 
instrument  as  finally  adopted. 

A  glance  at  the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  close  of 
the  Revolution  —  a  most  critical  period  of  our  national 
history  —  is  essential  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the 
motives  and  objects  of  the  founders  of  the  Society. 

During  the  winter  of  1782-83,  the  American  forces 
lay  encamped  at  Newburg,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son. The  war  was  over,  and  independence  secured ; 
but  the  country  was  exhausted,  and  the  outlook  any- 
thing but  promising.  The  army  felt  that  its  dissolution 
was  imminent,  and  that  very  soon  its  members  were  to 

1  Steuben's  letter  is  among  the  Knox  Papers  in  the  library  of  the  New 
England  Historic  Genealogical  Society. 


9 


be  dismissed  forever  from  the  service  of  their  country, 
with  no  other  resources  than  such  as  chance  or  their 
own  private  means  might  afford.  Congress,  no  longer 
the  illustrious  body  that  had  once  riveted  the  attention 
of  the  civilized  world,  and  wielded  autocratic  power,  — 
Congress  was  now  so  destitute  of  influence  as  to  be 
wholly  unable  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  the  troops, 
then  largely  in  arrears ;  all  it  could  do  was  to  recom- 
mend to  the  different  States  to  permit  the  money  for 
national  purposes  to  be  levied  :  a  recommendation  was 
regarded  or  not,  as  the  case  might  be.  All  this  was 
well  understood  by  the  army.  The  members  felt  that 
they  would  never  get  their  money  unless  some  definite 
arrangement  were  made  before  the  organization  was 
disbanded.  To  add  to  their  irritation,  the  public  prints 
made  strenuous  opposition  to  granting  pensions  for 
military  services,  —  an  opposition  prompted  by  those 
prudent  patriots  who  had  stayed  at  home  during  the 
war,  but  who  now,  when  danger  was  over,  fearlessly 
came  to  the  front.  Congress  afterward  issued  certifi- 
cates for  five  years'  pay,  in  lieu  of  the  half-pay  for  life 
that  it  had  previously  granted.  These  the  more  needy 
of  the  soldiers  were  obliged  to  part  with  at  a  ruinous 
discount.  Often,  on  reaching  home,  the  war-worn  vet- 
eran had  nothing  to  show  for  his  long  service  but  his 
ragged  uniform  and  his  honorable  scars. 

Poverty  had  made  sad  work  among  these  men. 
Poorly  paid,  they  had  as  a  general  rule  been  compelled 
to  depend  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  upon  their  own 
scanty  resources.  Their  wives  and  daughters  (and  we 
should  never  lose  sight  of  this  fact),  —  the  women  of 
the  Revolution,  —  had  borne  a  part  in  the  toils  and 


10 


sacrifices  of  the  long  and  arduous  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence with  a  patient  heroism  no  whit  inferior  to 
the  more  active  valor  of  husbands  and  brothers.  Not 
only  did  they  encourage  and  stimulate  the  men  in  the 
performance  of  patriotic  duties,  but  often,  besides  dis- 
charging their  own  household  labors,  they  did  the 
men's  work  in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm. 

"  The  situation  of  the  officers,"  writes  Washington  to 
Hamilton,  March  12,  1784,  "  I  do  believe  is  distressing 
in  the  extreme.  It  is  affirmed  to  me  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  them  have  no  better  prospect  before  them 
than  a  jail,  if  they  are  turned  loose  without  liquidation 
of  accounts,  and  an  assurance  of  that  justice  to  which 
they  are  so  worthily  entitled." 

It  is  not  wonderful,  therefore,  that  a  spirit  of  dis- 
affection pervaded  the  ranks.  An  anonymous  writer  ' 
gave  forcible  and  eloquent  expression  to  this  feeling  in 
a  paper  distributed  throughout  the  camp,  in  which  it 
was  proposed  that  the  army  should  relinquish  the  ser- 
vice in  a  body  if  the  war  continued ;  or,  in  case  of 
peace,  that  they  should  still  retain  their  arms,  in  defi- 
ance of  civil  authority.  This  paper  produced  intense 
excitement. 

Impressive  and  critical  as  was  the  exigency,  how- 
ever, Washington  was  fully  equal  to  its  requirements. 
Calling  the  officers  together,  he  counselled  moderation 
in  a  dignified  and  patriotic  speech,  calmed  the  general 
agitation,  and  restored  order  and  discipline.  As  he 
put  on  his  spectacles  to  read  his  address  he  said,  "  You 
see,  gentlemen,  that  I  have  not  only  grown  gray  but 
blind  in  your  service."  This  incident,  simple  as  it  was, 

1  Major  John  Armstrong. 


11 


produced  a  powerful  effect.  "Without  this  scene," 
wrote  Major  Shaw  to  a  friend.  "  I  should  never  have 
known  to  what  heights  human  nature  was  capable  of 


attaining. 


I  well  remember  hearing  the  late  Rev.  David  Smith, 
D.  D.  (a  member  of  this  Society  who  died  in  1862), 
give  a  graphic  account  of  a  visit  that  he  made  to  the 
encampment  of  the  Revolutionary  army  on  the  Hudson, 
just  before  the  close  of  the  war.  His  father,  Captain 
Ebenezer  Smith,  came  home  on  a  short  furlough,  and 
David  accompanied  him  on  his  return  to  the  camp, 
being  at  that  time  scarcely  sixteen  years  of  age. 

He  reached  West  Point  in  time  to  be  an  eye-witness 
of  the  last  review  of  troops  made  by  the  illustrious 
Commander-in-Chief  at  that  place.  The  beneficent 
countenance  and  majestic  presence  of  General  Wash- 
ington, as  he  appeared  on  that  occasion,  and  the  steady 
marching  and  soldierly  bearing  of  the  troops  as  they 
passed  in  review,  made  an  impression  upon  the  boy  so 
vivid  and  thrilling,  that  the  scene  ever  afterward,  he 
said,  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  present  reality,  and  could 
never  be  effaced  from  his  memory.  He  remained  near 
headquarters  till  the  army  was  disbanded ;  and  while 
there  he  frequently  saw  General  Washington  and  his 
associates-in-arms. 

At  last  for  the  army  the  hour  of  parting  struck. 
Old  comrades  who  side  by  side,  during  all  those  years, 
had  fought  and  bled,  sometimes  pinched  by  hunger  and 
poverty  to  the  utmost  limit  of  human  endurance,  were 
now  to  separate,  not  knowing  if  they  ever  should  meet 
again  on  earth,  or  what  fate  might  have  in  store  for  them 

1  Journal  of  Samuel  Shaw,  with  a  memoir  by  Josiah  Quincy,  p.  105. 


12 


in  the  unknown  future.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
these  men  thus  remanded  to  the  farm  or  workshop  had 
lost  their  taste  for  the  arts  of  peace  and  their  skill  in 
cultivating  them,  and  with  their  meagre  resources  they 
naturally  viewed  the  coming  struggle  for  existence 
with  melancholy  forebodings. 

Hear  what  Judge  Burke,  the  ablest  opponent  of  the 
Cincinnati  Society,  says  of  these  men.  u  It  must  be 
remembered,"  says  Burke,  "  that  a  series  of  hardy,  gal- 
lant, and  splendid  actions,  through  a  fierce  and  desper- 
ate conflict,  their  toils  and  sufferings,  and  their  patience 
under  them,  and,  above  all,  the  glorious  success  which 
crowned  the  whole,  have  rendered  the  officers  of  the 
American  Army  the  most  renowned  band  of  men  that 
this  day  walk  on  the  face  of  the  globe."  * 

Although  these  men  had  secured  the  independence  of 
their  country,  they  well  knew  that  she  was  too  poor  to 
do  anything  for  them ;  and  that  if  they  or  their  chil- 
dren should  thereafter  be  in  need,  it  must  be  to  their 
comrades  that  they  would  have  to  look  for  help. 

This  was  the  situation  when  Knox,  who  had  Jong 
cherished  the  idea,  proposed  the  formation  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 

The  desire  to  possess  honorary  distinctions  has 
shown  itself  from  the  earliest  times,  and  among 
nations  strongly  dissimilar ;  and  to  be  able  to  wear 
them  on  the  person  as  evidence  of  valuable  service  to 
one's  country  has  always  been  an  honorable  object  of 
ambition.  The  "  button  "  of  the  Mandarin,  the  "  fleece" 
of  the  Spanish  grandee,  and  the  "  garter  "  of  the  Eng- 

1  Considerations  on  the  Order  or  Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 


13 


lish  knight  are  badges  of  distinction  equally  prized  and 
coveted.  The  sentiment  which  prompts  the  bestowal 
of  these  incentives  to  exertion  lies  deep  in  the  founda- 
tions of  our  nature.  The  recognition  of  meritorious 
service  has  been  made  use  of  by  every  government  that 
could  maintain  pretensions  to  civilization ;  and  to-day 
these  incentives  to  nobler  effort  prevail  throughout  the 
civilized  world. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1783,  a  meeting  of  the  gen- 
eral officers,  and  of  one  officer  from  the  line  of  each 
regiment,  was  held  at  the  cantonment  of  the  army  to 
consider  the  subject  of  the  proposed  association.  Baron 
Steuben  presided  ;  and  upon  the  favorable  report  of 
a  committee  consisting  of  Generals  Knox,  Hand,  and 
Huntington,  and  Captain  Shaw,  three  days  later,  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  brave  old  Baron  (known  since  as 
the  Yerplanck  manor,  near  Fishkill),  the  Institution  of 
the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  was  with  great  unanimity 
adopted. 

The  leading  objects  of  the  Society  are  thus  stated  in 
this  instrument :  "  To  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of 
the  achievement  of  national  independence,  as  well  as  the 
mutual  friendships  which  have  been  formed  under  the 
pressure  of  common  danger,  and  in  many  instances  ce- 
mented by  the  blood  of  the  parties,  —  the  officers  of  the 
American  Army  do  hereby  in  the  most  solemn  manner 
associate,  constitute,  and  combine  themselves  into  one 
society  of  friends,  to  endure  as  long  as  they  shall  en- 
dure, or  any  of  their  eldest  male  posterity,  and,  in  fail- 
ure thereof,  the  collateral  branches  who  may  be  judged 
worthy  of  becoming  its  supporters  or  members." 

Though    smarting    under    their    country's    neglect 


14 


these  patriotic  men  did  not  lose  sight  of  her  welfare. 
In  this  same  instrument  they  declare  it  to  be  "  their 
unalterable  determination  to  promote  and  cherish 
between  the  respective  States  that  union  and  national 
honor  so  essentially  necessary  to  the  happiness  and  the 
future  dignity  of  the  American  Empire."  It  is  a  source 
of  just  pride  that  our  Society,  originating  as  it  emphati- 
cally did  in  merit  alone,  should  also  have  so  valid  a 
claim  to  perpetuity  as  is  contained  in  this  patriotic 
declaration.  In  this  direction  it  can  still  be  useful,  and 
the  fundamental  principles  upon  which  it  rests  should 
never  be  departed  from. 

Officers  were  eligible  to  membership  who  had  served 
for  three  years,  or  to  the  end  of  the  war,  or  who  had 
been  left  out  on  the  several  reductions  of  the  army, 
upon  contributing  one  month's  pay  to  the  treasury  of 
the  respective  State  societies,  the  interest  of  this  fund 
to  be  applied  to  the  relief  of  the  indigent  widows  and 
orphans  of  deceased  members. 

The  General  Society  was  to  be  divided  into  State 
societies,  and  it  was  to  meet  triennially  on  the  first 
Monday  in  May.  The  triennial  meeting  is  composed 
of  the  officers  of  the  General  Society,  and  a  delegation 
of  not  more  than  five  members  from  each  State.  There 
have  been  thirty-five  meetings  of  the  General  Society 
during  the  century,  besides  those  supposed  to  have 
taken  place  between  1811  and  1829,  of  which  no  rec- 
ord exists.  Only  temporary  officers  were  chosen  at 
the  first  meeting,  as  follows :  Washington,  President ; 
General  Knox,  Secretary ;  and  General  McDougal, 
Treasurer.  A  little  later,  the  eagle,  the  beautiful  in- 
signia of  the  order,  was  designed  by  Major  1'Enfant,  an 
accomplished  engineer  and  draughtsman. 


15 


A  number  of  prominent  French  officers  who  had 
aided  us  in  achieving  our  independence  were  consti- 
tuted members  of  the  Society.  The  French  king,  as  a 
special  mark  of  favor,  permitted  them  to  appear  at  court 
with  the  new  decoration,  the  only  foreign  badge  previ- 
ouslv  suffered  to  be  worn  there  beingr  that  of  the  Golden 

•/  O 

Fleece.  The  Society  was  held  in  high  honor  among 
the  French  officers,  and  its  membership  was  eagerly 
sought  by  them.  The  terrible  revolution  \vhich  swept 
away  every  vestige  of  rank  and  title  in  France  made 
sad  havoc  among  them,  and  brought  to  the  guillotine 
D'Estaing,  Custine,  Lauzun,  De  Broglie,  Dillon,  and 
others  who  had  earned  and  worn  the  much-coveted 
decoration.  The  especial  distinction  accorded  to  the 
order  by  Louis  XVI.  was  acknowledged  by  his  suc- 
cessors as  long  as  ro}"alty  held  sway  in  France.  In 
Russia  it  has  received  special  recognition  from  the 
Czar ;  and  in  England  the  badge  of  the  order  is  recog- 
nized by  the  Lord  Chamberlain  as  a  passport  to  court 
ceremonials.  Our  Society  is  more  generally  recognized 
abroad  than  any  other  American  organization.  At 
home,  many  prominent  men  have  been  among  its 
members. 

One  feature  of  the  Institution  —  the  hereditary  suc- 
cession of  its  members  —  alarmed  the  friends  of  the 
new  republic,  then  at  the  beginning  of  its  experimental 
stage,  and  provoked  hostile  criticism  from  all  quarters. 
The  ablest  of  its  opponents  was  Judge  Burke,  of  South 
Carolina.  The  gifted  Mirabeau  also,  afterward  the 
impassioned  orator  of  the  French  National  Assembly, 
uttered  this  solemn  warning  :  "  In  less  than  a  cen- 
tury this  institution,  which  draws  a  line  of  separation 


16 


between  the  descendants  of  the  Cincinnati  and  their 
fellow-citizens,  will  have  caused  so  great  an  inequality 
that  the  country  which  now  contains  none  but  citizens 
perfectly  equal  in  the  eye  of  the  constitution  and  of  the 
law,  will  consist  altogether  of  two  classes  of  men, — 
Patricians  and  Plebeians."1 

How  ridiculous  this  prediction  seems  to  us,  and  how 
completely  was  it  falsified  by  the  event!  Yet  such 
was  the  sensitiveness  of  popular  feeling  upon  this 
subject  at  that  day  that  these  and  similar  forebodings, 
absurd  as  they  now  appear,  produced  a  profound 
impression  all  over  the  country. 

That  such  ideas  should  be  entertained  by  persons 
living  under  monarchical  governments,  and  unfamiliar 
with  the  genius  of  our  people,  is  not  strange ;  the  won- 
der is  that  they  should  have  been  shared  by  some  of 
the  most  enlightened  of  our  own  statesmen.  Jefferson, 
Jay,  the  Adamses,  even  the  sagacious  Franklin,  were 
among  those  who  believed  that  the  Society  was  laying 
the  foundation  of  a  new  order  of  nobility.  The  State 
of  Rhode  Island  threatened  to  disfranchise  such  of  its 
citizens  as  were  members  of  the  Cincinnati ;  but,  not- 
withstanding the  assertion  of  several  writers  that  she 
did  deprive  them  of  citizenship,  no  such  step  was  actu- 
ally taken  by  her,  nor  by  any  other  State.  McMaster, 
the  latest  writer  upon  this  portion  of  our  history,  not 
only  repeats  but  magnifies  this  error,  for  he  tells  us 
that  "  the  officer  who  subscribed  to  its  laws  laid  down 
in  many  States  his  rights  of  citizenship."  2 

1  Considerations  on  the  Order  or  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  p.  22. 
s  McMaster's   History  of   the  People   of   the  United    States,  vol.  i. 
p.  168. 


17 


Here  in  Massachusetts,  a  committee  of  both  Houses 
of  the  Legislature  reported,  March  25,  1784,  that  the 
association  was  "  unjustifiable,  and,  if  not  properly  dis- 
countenanced, dangerous  to  the  peace,  liberty,  and 
safety  of  the  United  States  in  general,  and  this  com- 
monwealth in  particular."  No  action,  however,  was 
taken  by  the  Legislature,  and  the  excitement  eventu- 
ally subsided. 

So  strong  indeed  was  the  public  sentiment  against 
the  Society  in  our  own  State  at  that  time,  that  even 
Knox  its  founder,  and  Jackson  his  bosom  friend, 
stanch  supporters  of  the  order  as  they  were,  were 
for  a  time  constrained  to  abstain  from  wearing  their 
badges ; 1  and  General  Heath,  then  a  candidate  for 
senatorial  honors,  and  fearing  for  the  result,  wrote  on 
the  eve  of  the  election  to  the  Secretary-General  to 
erase  his  name  from  the  Society's  list  of  members.9 

Knowing  as  we  do  the  purity  of  the  motives  that 
actuated  the  founders  of  our  Society,  and  the  patriotism 
and  beneficence  that  have  marked  its  whole  career ; 
and  knowing,  too,  the  utter  impossibility  of  founding 
here,  even  had  they  desired  to  do  so,  an  aristocratic 
and  privileged  class,  —  knowing  all  this,  one  can 
hardly  repress  a  smile  at  the  wide-spread  alarm  and 
apprehension  excited  by  the  wise,  perfectly  simple, 
and  proper  method  devised  by  the  Society  for  continu- 
ing its  existence. 

1  See  AVinthrop  Sargent's  article  in  the  "North  American  Review" 
for  October,  1852. 

2  General  Heath  paid  his  money,  but  never  met  with  the  Society. 
See  "  Heath's  Memoirs,"  pp.  380-82.     Life  of  Samuel  Adams,  by  S.  A. 
Welles,  vol.  iii.  p.  204. 

3 


18 


No  one  now  thinks  of  questioning  the  wisdom  of 
this  method.  The  fact  of  its  adoption  by  that  patriotic 
body  of  men  known  as  the  "  Loyal  Legion/'  whose 
task  it  was  to  preserve  that  which  our  original  mem- 
bers had  contributed  so  largely  to  secure,  —  this  fact 
is  of  itself  a  sufficient  commentary  on  the  judgment 
and  good  sense  of  the  founders  of  the  Cincinnati  in 
establishing  such  a  rule,  however  contrary  it  might 
then  have  been  to  current  popular  sentiment. 

The  first  General  Meeting  of  the  Cincinnati,  after 
the  disbanding  of  the  army,  took  place  at  the  City 
Tavern  in  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1784.  At  the  sugges- 
tion of  Washington,  and  in  deference  to  the  strong  and 
general  sentiment  of  the  country,  it  recommended  to 
the  State  societies  the  abolition  of  the  obnoxious  pro- 
vision in  the  Institution.  By  this  timely  action  the 
opposition  was  silenced,  and  the  storm  hushed.  After 
the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  warfare 
against  the  Society  ceased.  As,  however,  the  pro- 
posed alteration  in  the  Institution  never  was  agreed 
to  by  the  State  societies,  that  instrument  remains  to 
this  day  unaltered  in  this  respect.  At  this  meeting  in 
Philadelphia  the  first  regular  officers  of  the  Society  were 
chosen.  Washington  was  of  course  named  President- 
General  ;  General  Gates  was  elected  Vice-President- 
General  ;  and  General  Knox,  Secretary-General.  Since 
its  formation  the  presiding  officers  of  the  Society  have 
been  as  follows  :  George  Washington,  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton, Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  Thomas  Pinckney, 
Aaron  Ogden,  Morgan  Lewis,  William  Popham,  Henry 
A.  S.  Dearborn,  and  Hamilton  Fish.  Four  of  the  nine 


19 

have    been  from   New  York,  and   all    but   two   were 
Revolutionary  officers. 

With  regard  to  the  admission  of  new  members,  vari- 
ous rules  have  from  time  to  time  been  adopted,  and 
there  is,  —  unfortunately,  as  I  believe,  —  no  uniformity 
of  action  in  the  different  State  societies.  Since  1792, 
our  Society  has  elected  its  members  by  ballot,  and  in 
1801  it  adopted  the  rule  of  electing  no  person  under 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  The  principle  of  limiting 
membership  to  a  single  individual  of  the  same  line 
prevails  uniformly  in  Massachusetts,  and,  I  think,  in 
Pennsylvania ;  while  South  Carolina  admits  all  male 
descendants,  at  least  in  the  same  degree  of  blood.  In 
Maryland,  also,  different  degrees  of  the  same  stock  in 
the  line  of  descent,  as  father  and  son,  are  admitted 
together. 

In  all  the  societies  from  the  beginning,  a  brother  or 
a  nephew  of  an  original  member  was  eligible ;  and 
direct  male  descendants,  through  female  collateral 
lines,  have,  upon  failure  of  original  male  lines,  been 
made  admissible,  in  preference  to  kinsmen  more  re- 
mote. The  admission  of  nephews  has  been  extended 
in  Massachusetts  and  New  York  to  one  claiming 
through  a  sister  of  an  original  member.  In  1822  the 
first  and  only  instance  occurred  in  Massachusetts  of  the 
choice  of  a  cousin  and  nearest  male  relative  to  succeed 
a  deceased  member  (William  Lyman,  now  deceased,  in 
that  year  succeeding  his  cousin  James  W.  Lyman).  The 
honorary  membership  in  our  Society  has  been  limited 
to  three,  —  William  H.  Prescott,  in  1845;  Dr.  John  C. 
Warren  and  Daniel  Webster  in  1847. 


20 


A  recent  rule  of  our  Society  permits  a  deviation  from 
the  succession  of  the  heir  male  if,  for  satisfactory  rea- 
sons, another  be  chosen.  But  upon  the  decease  of  the 
person  so  preferred,  the  membership  reverts  to  the  heir 
male  of  the  original  member. 

In  1799  the  South  Carolina  society  voted  to  admit  to 
membership  all  the  sons  and  all  the  male  descendants 
of  original  members,  whether  such  descendants  derived 
through  a  male  or  female  branch,  or  of  such  officers  as 
having  served  with  reputation  died  during  the  war,  or 
who  having  been  entitled  to  become  members  died 
within  six  months  after  the  army  was  disbanded,  who 
might  be  judged  worthy,  provided  three  fourths  of  a 
legal  quarterly  meeting  were  in  his  favor,  and  upon  the 
payment  of  thirty  dollars.  They  also  voted  to  admit, 
on  a  three-fourths  vote  and  one  month's  pay,  officers 
who  had  served  six  years  in  the  army  or  navy  of  the 
United  States,  or  who  after  three  years'  service  had 
been  deranged  by  act  of  Congress.1  This  action  of  the 
South  Carolina  branch  seems  clearly  to  be  a  direct  vio- 
lation of  the  organic  law  of  the  Society.  No  notice  has 
been  taken  of  it,  however,  by  the  General  Society. 

I  am  not  informed  of  the  rules  of  other  State  so- 
cieties, now  in  force,  in  regard  to  the  admission  of 
members ;  but  I  think  the  records  will  show  that  the 
Massachusetts  State  society  has  adhered  more  rigidly 
in  this  respect  to  the  spirit  of  the  original  institution, 
from  its  beginning  to  the  present  time,  than  have  the 
other  State  societies. 

By  the  action  of  the  General  Society  in  1854,  the 

1  See  letter  from  the  South  Carolina  Society,  dated  May  23,  1799,  in 
the  archives  of  the  Massachusetts  Society. 


21 


door  of  admission  to  membership  was  opened  to  the 
male  descendants  of  such  officers  of  the  army  or  navy 
as  might  have  joined  it  originally,  but  who  failed  so  to 
do ;  to  those  who  resigned  with  honor  or  left  the  ser- 
vice with  reputation ;  and  also  to  the  male  collateral 
relatives  of  any  officer  who  died  in  service  without 
leaving  issue.  It  was  further  provided  that  the  male 
descendants  of  those  who  were  members  of  State  socie- 
ties which  had  been  dissolved,  might  be  admitted  into 
existing  societies  upon  such  terms  as  these  societies 
might  think  proper  to  prescribe.  This  measure  has  had 
the  effect  to  increase  the  membership  of  the  Society, 
which  had  previously  been  gradually  diminishing. 

From  the  records  of  our  State  society  I  glean  a  few 
items  of  more  than  ordinary  interest.  Its  first  meeting 
was  held  at  the  cantonment  of  the  Massachusetts  line, 
near  Newburg,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1783,  three  weeks 
after  the  formation  of  the  General  Society ;  its  subse- 
quent meetings  have  all  been  held  in  Boston.  General 
Patterson  presided ;  one  hundred  and  fifty  members 
were  in  attendance,  and  the  following  named  officers 
were  chosen  :  President,  Major-General  Benjamin  Lin- 
coln ;  Vice-President,  Major-General  Henry  Knox ; 
Secretary,  Colonel  John  Brooks ;  Treasurer,  Colonel 
Henry  Jackson  ;  Assistant-Treasurer,  Captain  Benjamin 
Hey  wood. 

At  a  special  meeting  on  the  llth  of  April,  1787.  a 
standing  committee  was  organized.  It  was  to  meet 
monthly  to  examine  the  claims  of  candidates  for  admis- 
sion ;  to  distribute  aid  from  its  funds  to  beneficiaries  ; 
and  to  transact  all  other  business  of  the  Society.  This 


22 


committee  was  subsequently  enlarged,  and  now  holds 
its  stated  meetings  in  March  and  November  of  each 
year. 

In  1788-89  our  State  society  lost  some  valuable  mem- 
bers, who  emigrated  to  the  Northwestern  Territory, 
where,  under  the  lead  of  Generals  Rufus  Putnam  and 
Benjamin  Tupper,  they  founded  at  Marietta  the  first 
white  settlement  in  Ohio.  Among  these  enterpris- 
ing pioneers  were  Colonels  Sprout  and  Stacey,  Major 
Oliver,  Captains  Nathaniel  Gushing,  Nathan  Goodale, 
Zebulon  King,  Robert  Bradford,  Jonathan  Stone,  Huf- 
field  White,  and  Jonathan  Haskell.  These  gentlemen 
afterward  formed  a  branch  society,  and  applied  for 
their  portion  of  the  Society's  funds.  The  request  was 
refused  as  incompatible  with  the  terms  of  the  Institu- 
tion itself,  and  as  establishing  a  dangerous  precedent. 
The  capital  fund  has  ever  been  regarded  as  a  sacred 
trust  by  the  Society,  "  to  endure  as  long  as  they  shall 
endure,  or  any  of  their  eldest  male  posterity,  and,  in 
failure  thereof,  the  collateral  branches  who  may  be 
judged  worthy." 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1789,  our  State  society 
was  entertained  on  board  the  French  fleet  then  in  Bos- 
ton Harbor,  commanded  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Gal- 
lissoniere,  a  member  of  the  French  Society,  and  on 
the  twenty-fourth  the  French  officers  were  in  return 
the  Society's  guests  at  Concert  Hall.  This  was  a 
grand  affair ;  the  hall  was  gayly  decorated,  and  a  full 
band  was  in  attendance. 

In  this  year  occurred  also  President  Washington's 
visit  to  Boston.  He  was  waited  on  by  the  Society  at 
his  quarters  in  the  building  which  until  quite  recently 


23 


stood  on  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  Court  streets.  The 
occasion  was  one  of  deep  interest,  six  years  having 
elapsed  since  their  parting  with  their  beloved  com- 
mander-in-chief.  An  address  was  made  by  Vice- 
President  Eustis,  to  which  the  President  made  a  feeling 
and  eloquent  reply. 

Another  of  these  pleasant  reunions  occurred  in  1817, 
when  President  Monroe,  the  second  chief  magistrate 
taken  from  the  ranks  of  the  Cincinnati,  came  to  Bos- 
ton. He  made  the  Exchange  Coffee  House  his  head- 
quarters, and  received  a  congratulatory  address  from 
the  Society. 

But  the  most  memorable  of  all  the  occasions  that 
brought  the  veterans  of  our  State  society  together 
occurred  in  1824,  when  Lafayette,  after  forty  years' 
absence,  revisited  our  shores  as  the  guest  of  the  nation. 
Probably  no  one  has  ever  received  a  more  enthusias- 
tic reception  than  that  accorded  upon  this  occasion  to 
the  "  hero  of  two  hemispheres."  From  the  balcony 
of  the  mansion  yet  standing  at  the  corner  of  Park  and 
Beacon  streets,  with  Brooks  and  Eustis,  in  their  old 
continental  uniforms,  on  either  side  of  him,  the  dis- 
tinguished visitor  saw  the  troops  and  the  procession 
pass  in  review.  A  committee  of  the  Society  called 
upon  Lafayette  at  the  residence  of  Governor  Eustis  in 
Roxbury,  before  his  entrance  into  Boston.  They  were 
anxious  to  offer  him  their  congratulations  at  the  earli- 
est moment,  and  to  bid  him  welcome  to  the  land  they 
had  unitedly  struggled  to  defend.  A  few  days  after  his 
arrival,  the  whole  Society  waited  on  him,  and  addressed 
him  through  their  President.  The  General,  in  reply, 
expressed  his  thanks  and  gratification  at  being  per- 


24 


mitted  to  revisit  his  surviving  companions  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary Army,  to  whom  he  tendered  his  "  grateful 
thanks  and  constant  love."  While  in  Boston,  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Cincinnati  again  assembled  to  offer  him  a 
tribute  of  affection,  and  their  meeting  was  deeply  in- 
teresting. His  venerable  associates-in-arms  were  in 
tears  when  he  addressed  them,  and  he  appeared  highly 
affected  by  the  interview.  Lafayette's  visit  has  a  spe- 
cial interest  for  this  Society,  as  it  was  made  the  occasion 
for  Brooks  and  Eustis,  brothers-in-arms,  to  bury  an  old 
animosity. 

When  in  1826  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  was  celebrated,  twenty  of  the 
old  Revolutionary  veterans,  most  of  whom  were  over 
seventy  years  of  age,  assembled.  One  of  them  had  not 
attended  a  meeting  of  the  State  society  for  forty  years. 
We  can  well  imagine  that  their  greetings  were  warm, 
their  reminiscences  of  the  past  abundant,  and  that  their 
expressions  of  pleasure  at  being  permitted  once  more 
to  meet  their  old  comrades,  and  to  see  the  country  for 
which  they  had  fought  and  bled  in  so  happy  and  pros- 
perous a  condition,  were  deep  and  heartfelt. 

On  Nov.  21,  1881,  the  descendants  and  represent- 
atives of  Lafayette,  Rochambeau,  Noailles,  and  others 
of  the  gallant  Frenchmen  who  aided  us  in  our  war  for 
independence,  were  welcomed  to  Boston  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  our  State  society,  in  the  name  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Cincinnati. 

For  six  consecutive  years,  beginning  with  1787,  ora- 
tions were  delivered  before  the  Society  on  the  4th  of 
July  of  each  year.  The  orators  were  Colonel  John 
Brooks,  Colonel  William  Hull,  Dr.  Samuel  Whitwell, 


25 


Colonel  William  Tudor,  Dr.  William  Eustis,  and  Thomas 
Edwards.  The  first  four  were  delivered  at  the  Old 
Brick  Meeting-house,  and  were  printed.  The  last  two 
were  given  in  the  Stone  Chapel.  On  these  occasions 
the  Society  marched  in  procession,  accompanied  by 
the  officiating  clergyman,  to  and  from  the  "  Bunch 
of  Grapes "  tavern  to  the  meeting-house.  The  rev- 
erend gentleman  opened  the  services  with  prayer,  and 
afterward  dined  with  the  Society. 

Our  first  annual  meeting  was  held  July  4,  1784,  at 
the  "  Bunch  of  Grapes "  tavern.  This  then  famous 
hostelry,  kept  at  that  time  by  Colonel  Marston,  and 
afterward  by  Mrs.  Lobdell,  stood  at  the  corner  of 
State  and  Kilby  streets,  the  present  site  of  the  New- 
England  National  Bank.  After  1789,  the  annual  fes- 
tive reunions  of  the  Society  were  usually  held  at  Con- 
cert Hall,  the  last  of  these  occurring  in  1846.  From 
1848  to  1860  the  Society  met  and  dined  at  the  United 
States  Hotel.  Since  that  period  its  meetings  have  been 
held  at  the  Parker  House. 

At  the  earlier  anniversaries  of  the  Society  the  cocked 
hat  and  knee  breeches  and  the  small  sword  were  worn. 
The  hair  carefully  powdered  and  brought  down  to  a 
pigtail  claimed  no  small  share  of  attention,  and  con- 
stituted an  important  feature  in  the  costume.  Old 
comrades  met  and  talked  over  the  past,  recalling  their 
varied  experiences  of  the  camp,  the  inarch,  arid  the 
battle-field.  Conviviality  was  apt  to  be  carried  to  ex- 
cess in  those  days,  and  it  was  not  likely  to  be  unduly 
restrained  by  old  campaigners  on  the  anniversary  day 
of  the  nation  they  had  helped  to  found. 

Apropos  of  this  now  obsolete  feature  of  our  annual 

4 


26 


gatherings  was  the  toast  of  Major  .Jackson,  an  old 
artilleryman.  Said  the  Major :  "  May  we  not  over- 
charge our  old  pieces,  and  never  heat  them  hotter  than 
they  were  at  Monmouth."  This  is  said  to  have  been 
a  "  palpable  hit." 

Some  of  these  scarred  veterans  present  at  these 
social  reunions  had  served  from  Bunker  Hill  to  York- 
town.  Their  talk  was  of  the  retreat  through  New  Jer- 
sey and  the  night-march  to  Trenton,  the  destitution 
and  misery  of  Valley  Forge,  the  heat  and  dust  of 
Monmouth,  the  storming  of  Stony  Point  under  the 
lead  of  "  Mad  Anthony,"  the  treason  of  Arnold,  the 
capture  and  execution  of  Major  Andre,  and  the  decisive 
events  of  Saratoga  and  Yorktown. 

The  dinners  —  and  they  were  good  and  substantial 
repasts  —  cost  each  member  four  shillings,  equal  to  two 
thirds  of  a  dollar;  the  wine,  which  was  an  "extra,"  two 
shillings  :  this  was  in  1789.  The  Master  of  Ceremo- 
nies was  directed  to  call  for  the  bill  before  sunset,  — 
perhaps  to  avoid  an  extra  charge  for  candles ! 

Since  1794,  the  cost  of  the  annual  dinner  has  been 
defrayed  from  the  funds  of  the  Society.  The  regular 
toasts  were  originally  thirteen  in  number ;  but  as  State 
after  State  came  into  the  Union,  their  number  corres- 
pondingly increased.  They  were  usually  of  a  patriotic 
character.  One,  which  has  never  been  omitted,  is 
drunk  standing  and  in  silence,  — "  To  the  memory 
of  Washington." 

The  Antislavery  sentiment  of  the  time  is  revealed 
in  a  toast  given  soon  after  the  Missouri  Compromise 
Act  of  1820.  It  was  this  :  "  Our  sister  States  in  the 
South :  May  the  time  soon  come,  when  their  songs 


27 


of  liberty  shall  no  longer  mingle  with  the  sighing  of 
slaves ! " 

After  a  century  of  existence  as  a  Society,  the  ques- 
tion naturally  arises,  Has  it  faithfully  carried  out  the 
cherished  objects  of  its  founders  ?  That  it  has  perpetu- 
ated and  strengthened  the  friendships  of  our  members 
does  not  admit  of  question.  Especially  bright  and  en- 
joyable were  those  rare  occasions  particularly  noticed 
in  our  records,  that  brought  from  a  distance  comrades 
like  General  North  (the  favorite  aid  of  Steuben),  Colonel 
Trumbull  (the  painter),  Colonel  Nathan  Rice,  and  John 
K.  Smith.  The  descendants  of  the  original  mem- 
bers have  cherished  and  know  how  to  value  this  most 
agreeable  feature  of  their  association. 

That  another  and  much  more  important  object  has 
also  been  borne  in  mind,  is  attested  by  the  Society's 
records,  which  show  that  whenever  the  institutions  we 
so  highly  prize  were  threatened  either  by  domestic  or 
foreign  foes,  the  members  of  the  Society  instantly  came 
forward  to  sustain  the  cause  of  union  and  good  gov- 
ernment. 

The  first  of  these  occasions,  the  Shays  Insurrection, 
occurred  in  Massachusetts  in  the  winter  of  1786-87. 
Those  were  dark  days.  The  old  Confederacy  was 
falling  into  contempt,  and  there  seemed  little  hope  of 
uniting  the  discordant  political  elements  then  existing 
into  anything  like  a  stable  form  of  government.  Ad- 
vantage was  taken  of  this  state  of  affairs  by  a  few 
desperate  men,  who  hoped  to  derive  some  benefit  from 
the  overthrow  of  the  State  government.  Notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  many  of  the  officers  were  still 


28 


unpaid,  and  extremely  depressed  in  their  private  cir- 
cumstances, the  moment  the  government  was  in  dan- 
ger, they  rallied  unanimously  to  its  support. 

The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  a  committee 
of  the  Society,  composed  of  Generals  Knox  and  Lin- 
coln, Colonel  Brooks  and  Dr.  Eustis,  dated  Oct.  11, 
1786,  and  which,  as  the  records  show,  was  unanimously 
adopted,  speaks  for  itself  :  "  Having  the  happiness," 
say  the  committee  in  their  report,  "  to  live  under  a 
government  of  laws  and  not  of  men,  attached  to  that 
government  by  the  strong  ties  of  principle  and  habit, 
valuing  freedom  in  proportion  to  the  sacrifices  they 
have  made  in  her  support,  this  Society  will  never 
tamely  suffer  these  inestimable  blessings  to  be  wrested 
from  their  hands  by  foreign  force,  or  domestic  faction. 
The  Society  are  interested  in  the  preservation  of  the 
Constitution  ;  and  so  long  as  life  and  its  attendant 
blessings,  so  long  as  public  faith  and  private  credit  are 
made  the  sacred  objects  of  government,  agreeably  to 
its  original  institution,  this  Society  pledge  themselves 
to  support  it  by  every  means,  and  by  every  exertion 
in  their  power." 

Nor  was  this  all.  The  pledge  thus  given  was  amply 
redeemed.  Several  of  the  Cincinnati  played  a  most 
prominent  part  in  suppressing  the  outbreak  which 
quickly  had  attained  to  formidable  proportions.  Gen- 
eral Lincoln  headed  the  forces  that  in  mid-winter 
inarched  through  deep  snows  against  it  in  the  west. 
General  Shepherd,  with  a  few  cannon-shot,  shattered 
and  dispersed  it  in  the  same  quarter;  and  General 
Knox,  then  Secretary  of  War,  was  active  in  providing 
for  the  security  of  the  United  States  arsenal  at  Spring- 


29 


field.  In  Bristol  County  the  mob,  confronted  by  the 
energetic  and  determined  officer,  who  declared  that 
he  would  "sit  as  a  judge,  or  die  as  a  general,"  and 
who  would,  as  they  well  knew,  keep  his  word,  —  scat- 
tered without  firing  a  shot. 

The  prospect  of  a  war  with  France,  in  1798,  called 
out  similar  assurances  from  the  Society  of  loyalty  and 
support  to  the  government ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  had  the  necessity  arisen,  their  acts  would  not  have 
belied  their  words. 

In  the  great  rebellion  which  divided  our  country  on 
a  strictly  geographical  line,  the  large  majority  of  the 
Cincinnati  were  actively  loyal.  The  patriotism  of  the 
sires  bore  legitimate  fruit  in  the  sons.  Among  the  gal- 
lant men  who  upheld  our  country's  flag  in  the  hour  of 
her  utmost  need,  the  descendants  of  the  Cincinnati 
were  everywhere  conspicuous,  and  proved  themselves 
worthy  of  their  exalted  origin.  South  of  Mason  and 
Dixon's  line  the  Union  men,  though  few  in  number, 
made  a  gallant  fight  to  prevent  the  impending  catas- 
trophe ;  but  they  were  completely  buried  beneath  the 
fierce  waves  of  secession  which  at  that  time  over- 
whelmed the  Southern  section  of  our  country. 

One  other  theme  presents  itself  in  connection  with 
our  inquiry. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Cincinnati  have  responded  to 
the  calls  of  friendship  and  patriotism.  What  have  they 
accomplished  toward  fulfilling  the  beneficent  designs 
of  the  founders  of  the  order? 

No  sooner  had  the  Society  been  organized  than  a 
committee  was  appointed  "  to  inquire  into  the  situa- 


30 


tion  of  distressed  members."  It  was  six  years,  however, 
before  the  first  application  for  relief  was  made. 

Two  years  later  (1791),  the  standing  committee  was 
empowered  to  grant,  annually,  a  sum  not  exceeding 
twenty  dollars  to  each  applicant  for  relief.  In  1796  it 
was  voted  to  apply  the  entire  interest  of  the  Society's 
fund  for  this  purpose ;  and  that  its  benevolent  objects 
might  be  more  fully  attained,  the  standing  committee 
was  instructed  to  give  public  notice  of  its  meetings. 
It  is  a  matter  of  wonder  that  the  applications  for  aid 
were  so  few  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Society.  Forty 
years  after  its  establishment  the  number  of  its  benefi- 
ciaries had  risen  to  ninety  ;  in  1847  it  had  decreased 
to  fifty,  and  is  now  but  half  that  number.  In  1862  it 
was  found  expedient  to  adopt  a  rule  restricting  aid  so 
as  to  apply  it  solely  to  our  indigent  members,  and  to 
the  widows  and  orphans  of  said  members. 

The  administration  of  the  Society's  finances  has 
always  been  in  able  hands.  Its  past  treasurers  — 
General  Jackson,  Robert  Williams,  and  William  Per- 
kins, each  of  whom  were  many  -years  in  office  — 
have  by  their  judicious  management  so  increased  the 
fund  of  the  Society  as  to  enable  it  to  carry  out  the 
eleemosynary  provision  of  its  Institution  in  a  most 
enlarged  and  liberal  manner.  While  its  beneficiaries 
in  1847  received  annually  on  an  average  but  about 
thirty  dollars  each,  they  now  receive  over  eighty  dol- 
lars each.  . 

.The  sums  contributed  by  original  members,  as  ap- 
pears by  our  books,  was  $13,058.15.  These  were 
paid  in  Continental  certificates,  which  were  probably 
redeemed  at  par. 


31 


When  it  is  considered  that  not  a  few  of  these  con- 
tributions were  made  at  the  cost  of  great  personal 
inconvenience  and  even  of  comfort,  such  as  we  in  this 
day  can  neither  understand  nor  appreciate,  we  can  the 
better  realize  the  earnest  interest  which  these  men  felt 
in  establishing  this  brotherhood.  One  instance  of  this 
kind  has  come  to  my  knowledge.  An  original  member 
of  this  Society,  who  served  through  the  Revolutionary 
war  with  much  distinction,  —  a  brigadier-general  at  its 
close,  —  went  home  to  poverty,  and  ruined  in  health. 
He  soon  afterwards  died.  He  was  so  much  reduced  in 
his  pecuniary  circumstances  that  his  widow  was  obliged 
to  ask  help  in  order  to  defray  the  expense  of  his 
burial. 

Surely,  a  fund  gathered  for  such  uses  as  was  that  of 
the  Cincinnati,  and  representing  as  it  did  the  hard- 
earned  and,  in  some  instances,  the  only  savings  of  the 
contributors,  cannot  be  held  too  dearly  or  guarded  too 
closely  by  those  to  whose  care  it  has  been  committed.1 

The  amount  paid  from  the  treasury  of  this  Society  in 
aid  of  members  and  their  descendants  to  the  present 
time,  as  the  records  show,  exceeds  ninety  thousand 
dollars.  The  expenditures  for  annual  dinners  and  inci- 
dentals has  been  another  and  no  inconsiderable  item 


1  In  a  circular  dated  June,  1836,  Dr.  James  Thacher  of  Plymouth  calls 
for  the  dissolution  of  the  Society  and  the  distribution  of  its  funds.  "  Our 
glorious  days  are  gone  by,"  says  the  writer,  "  our  work  is  finished;  not 
more  than  twenty  of  our  original  members  survive,  and  the  time  is  at 
hand  when  not  an  individual  of  the  old  stock  will  be  seen  at  your  festive 
board.  Our  funds  might  add  much  to  the  comfort  of  the  old  debilitated 
soldiers  if  divided."  At  the  annual  meeting  July  4,  1836,  "the  subject 
of  dissolving  the  Society,  as  suggested  by  Dr.  Thacher,  was  debated,  and 
on  motion  it  was  indefinitely  postponed." 


32 


of  expense.  Notwithstanding  this,  we  begin  the  new 
century  with  our  vested  capital  increased  fully  five- 
fold in  amount,  as  compared  with  the  sum  contributed 
originally. 

On  the  rolls  of  our  Society  there  are  many  distin- 
guished names,  to  a  few  of  which  it  seems  proper  on 
this  occasion  briefly  to  refer. 

The  army  and  navy  are  well  represented  by  those 
of  Lincoln,  Knox,  Rufus  Putnam,  Patterson,  Greaton, 
Shepard,  Tupper,  Hull,  Vose,  Wesson,  Jackson,  Nichol- 
son, and  Warren  of  the  Revolutionary  period,  and  by 
Casey,  Hunt,  Townsend,  Davis,  and  Thatcher  of  later 
date,  but  of  no  less  distinction.  The  names  of  Parker, 
Baylies,  Cobb,  and  Binney  have  illustrated  the  bench 
and  bar;  those  of  Eustis,  Brooks,  Homans,  Townsend, 
Hunt,  Green,  and  Thacher  have  graced  the  medical 
profession,  of  whom  Brooks  and  Eustis  have  also  wor- 
thily filled  the  gubernatorial  chair  of  Massachusetts. 
The  pulpit  has  been  enriched  by  tha  piety  and  elo- 
quence of  an  Ingersoll,  a  Ballard,  a  Baury,  and  a 
Wells.  In  this  connection  I  cannot  forbear  reference 
to  one 1  whom  it  is  not  necessary  in  this  presence  to 
name.  Far  distant  be  the  day  when  his  genial  com- 
panionship shall  cease  from  among  us,  to  gladden  and 
to  cheer !  Science  and  scholarship  can  claim  Picker- 
ing, Popkin,  Tudor,  Bradford,  Daveis,  Dearborn,  and 
Gould.  Prominent  among  the  distinguished  names 
stands  that  of  Charles  Sumner,  statesman,  orator,  and 
scholar.  Franklin  Pierce,  one  of  our  members,  was 
the  fourteenth  President  of  the  United  States.  Other 

1  The  Rev.  S.  K.  Lothrop,  D.D. 


33 


honored  names  will  readily  occur  to  you,  such  as  Shaw, 
Sever,  and  others ;  but  the  list  is  too  long  to  be  recited 
on  this  occasion,  and  I  must  leave  it  incomplete. 

Dr.  Joseph  Prescott,  the  last  survivor  of  the  original 
members,  and  at  one  time  Vice-President  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts society,  died  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  in 
1852.  The  last  of  the  original  Cincinnati,  Major  Robert 
Burnett,  survived  until  1854.  The  Massachusetts  roll 
contains  at  the  present  time  the  names  of  only  four  who 
are  sons  of  original  members ;  namely,  Dr.  Samuel  Al- 
den,  of  Bridgewater ;  Benjamin  H.  Greene,  of  Brook- 
line,  Mass;  John  Edwards,  of  Portland,  Me.;  William 
H.  Burbeck,  of  New  London,  Conn.  The  roll  also  con- 
tains the  name  of  William  Eustis,  of  Philadelphia,  a 
nephew  of  Governor  William  Eustis. 

Cincinnati,  the  "  Queen  City  of  the  West,"  was  so 
named  by  General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  in  honor  of  this 
Society,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  St.  Clair,  as  you 
remember,  was  the  first  governor  of  the  Northwestern 
Territory. 

Of  the  thirteen  original  State  societies,  seven  are 
yet  in  existence.  Those  of  North  Carolina  and  Geor- 
gia long  ago  ceased  to  have  vitality.  The  Delaware, 
Connecticut,  Virginia,  and  New  Hampshire  societies 
were  dissolved  in  the  years  1802, 1804, 1.822,  and  1830, 
respectively,  the  latter  by  the  death  of  its  last  member. 
The  Rhode  Island  Society  was  also  dissolved  in  1832, 
but  has  recently  been  revived  by  sons  and  representa- 
tives of  former  members  now  deceased.  The  only  State 
societies  of  the  Cincinnati  ever  incorporated  were  those 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  1792 ;  Massachusetts,  in  1806 ;  and 
Rhode  Island,  in  1814. 


34 


The  Massachusetts  State  society  has  always  been  the 
largest,  —  the  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  members 
who  originally  signed  its  roll  being  now  represented 
by  ninety  of  their  descendants ;  and  it  is  believed  to 
have  held  more  closely  to  the  principles  and  practices 
of  the  original  Institution  than  have  either  of  the  re- 
maining State  societies,  if  we  except  that  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. These  two  societies  have,  as  a  rule,  opposed  all 
radical  departures  from  the  Institution  as  originally 
planned. 

A  few  figures  exhibit  the  condition  of  each  of  the 
State  societies,  and  the  number  of  its  regular  and  hono- 
rary members,  as  reported  recently  to  the  Secretary- 
General  :  — 


STATE  SOCIETIES. 

Original 
Members. 

Present 
Members. 

Honorary 
Members. 

FCND. 

Massachusetts     .... 
New  York  

334 
230 

90 
57 

3 

$53,000.00* 
22,000.00 

New  Jersey     

110 

41 

9 

15,000.00* 

Pennsylvania  

268 

34 

36,050.00 

148 

22 

5,660.00 

South  Carolina    .... 
Rhode  Island  

131 
71 

42 
29 

5 

5,500.00 
1,401.23 

Totals     

1,°92 

315 

17 

$138,611.23 

Such,  in  brief,  Brothers,  is  the  record  of  this  Society 
during  the  past  hundred  years. 

I  have  no  need  here  more  than  to  allude  to  the  not 
less  interesting,  as  well  as  important,  history  of  this 
brotherhood,  which  is,  and  must  always  remain,  un- 

*  Securities  taken  at  par. 


35 


written.  Of  the  life-long  friendships  that  have  been 
fostered  and  strengthened  here ;  of  the  countless  and 
nameless  individuals  who  have  been  the  recipients  of 
the  Society's  bounty  ;  of  the  genuine  comfort  and  good 
cheer  it  has  vouchsafed  to  all ;  of  the  inspiration  to 
well-doing  that  has  gone  out  from  these  fraternal 
gatherings,  hallowed  by  all  the  glorious  memories 
and  associations  that  belong  to  them,  —  these  have 
not  been,  under  the  providence  of  God,  without  their 
influence  in  making  up  the  sum  of  the  good  work  which 
this  Society  has  accomplished  ;  ay,  and  in  making  bet- 
ter men  of  all  those  who  ha.ve  accepted  its  membership 
in  the  true  spirit  of  its  Institution. 

Standing  thus  at  the  opening  of  the  second  cen- 
tury of  this  Society's  existence,  we  have  just  cause 
to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  the  record  it  has 
made. 

Let  us  look  forward  hopefully  and  confidently  to 
the  work  that  is  before  us,  remembering  always  that 
to  us  has  been  committed  for  the  time  being  all  the 
interests,  all  the  nobly  conservative  influences  and 
associations,  of  this  time-honored  Society. 

A  glorious  heritage  is  ours ;  but  this  inheritance  im- 
poses upon  us  important  duties  and  responsibilities, 
which  can  be  neither  overlooked  nor  neglected  if  we 

o 

would  prove  ourselves  to  be  worthy  of  it. 

There  is  an  old  proverb  which  is  to  the  effect  that  if 
we  would  be  the  equals  of  our  fathers,  we  should  be 
superior  to  them  ;  that  is  to  say,  as  they  occupied  higher 
ground  than  those  who  preceded  them,  so,  to  be  their 
equals,  we  must  advance  our  position  beyond  theirs. 


36 


Let  us  see  to  it  that  the  principles  of  honor,  of  a 
broad  patriotism,  and  of  an  unswerving  devotion  to 
duty  are  the  cardinal  principles  of  our  action,  not  only 
as  members  of  this  brotherhood,  but  as  citizens  of  this 
republic  which  our  fathers  helped  to  found,  and  which 
they  looked  to  their  descendants  to  preserve,  to 
strengthen,  and  to  make  the  noblest  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth. 

Then  shall  an  influence  for  good  go  forth  from  this 
organization  which  shall  be  worthy  of  its  founders  and 
of  their  successors;  an  influence  founded  upon  the 
everlasting  principles  of  justice,  charity,  and  truth, 
which  shall  be  transmitted  in  all  its  strength  and 
fulness  to  the  generations  which  shall  succeed  us. 

ESTO  PERPETUA  ! 


EXERCISES    AT    THE    CENTENNIAL    DINNER, 


LISTS   OF  OFFICERS  AND   MEMBERS. 


Delegates  to  the  triennial  meeting  of  the  General  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  to  be  holdcn  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in 
May,  1884:- 

SAMLTEL  C.  COBB. 
CHARLES  D.  ROMANS. 
FRANCIS  W.  PALFREY. 

WlNSLOW    W  ARK  EN. 

SAMUEL  K.  LOTHROP. 


BOSTON,  JULY  4,  1883. 


CENTENNIAL    DINNER 

AT  THE  PARKER  HOUSE,  2  O'CLOCK,  P.M. 
Jttttgic  bg  the  (germaniij  lianti. 

Toast-master DAVID  G.  HASKINS,  Jr. 

Chaplain      .     .     The  Rev.  SAMUEL  K.  LOTHEOP,  D.D. 


TOASTS. 

I.    The  Memory  of  Washington.     (Standing,  in  Silence.) 
Music:  "  WASHINGTON'S  MARCH." 

II.  The  Day  and  Year  we  Celebrate  :  The  Birthday  of  our  Na- 
tion, and  the  Centennial  of  our  Order.  We  honor  the 
memory  of  those  who  declared  our  Independence  and 
of  those  who  fought  for  it. 

Music :  "  HAIL  COLUMBIA." 

Historical  Address  by  the  President,  the  Hon.  SAMUEL  C.  COBB. 
Music:  "THE  MARSEILLAISE." 

V 

Address  by  the  Rev.  SAMUEL  K.  LOTHBOP,  D.D. 


40 

III.  The  Health   of  our  Honored  President:    The   last    Presi- 

dent of  the  first  century,  the  first  President  of  the 
second  century  of  our  Order.  Long  may  he  live  in 
health,  honor,  and  prosperity,  to  preside  over  the  meet- 
ings of  this  Society  ! 

Response,  by  the  President. 

IV.  The  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States :   Few  in  num- 

ber, but  mighty  in  spirit  ;  worthy  sons  of  the  men 
of  Bunker  Hill  and  Valley  Forge,  of  Lake  Erie,  New 
Orleans,  and  Buena  Vista. 

Music:  "THE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER." 


V.  The  Clergy  :  Zealous  and  powerful  advocates  of  the 
rights  of  man,  whether  in  the  pulpit,  the  forum,  or 
the  battle-field,  in  1776  or  1883. 

"  Those  who,  regardless  of  an  earthly  prize, 
Offer  their  lives  a  double  sacrifice,  — 
To  God  for  men,  to  men  for  God:  that  band 
Of  noble  men,  —  the  Clergy  of  our  land." 

Music. 

Response,  by  the  Rev.  JAMES  G.  VOSE,  of  Providence, 
Rhode  Island. 


VI.  The    Surgeons    of   1776,    1812,    1846,   and   1861  :     Fear- 

less messengers  of  mercy  amidst  the  horrors  of  the 
battle-field ;  freely  shedding  their  own  blood  at  their 
country's  call ;  true  to-day,  as  in  1775,  to  the  motto,  — 
"  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori." 

Music. 
Response,  by  the  Vice-President,  CHARLES  D.  HOMANS,  M.D. 

VII.  Plymouth  Itock :    The  stepping-stone  'from  mediaeval  tra- 

ditions to  modern  liberty  and  equal  rights. 


41 


"  Like  cleaves  to  like  !    Tha  wandering  exiles  found 
A  rock,  firm  as  their  wills,  on  which  to  rest; 
No  yielding  clay,  no  flower-besprinkled  ground, 
Would  suit  these  imn,  — stern,  tempast- tossed,  oppressed. 
The  gray  old  rock,  ne'er  yielding  to  their  tread, 
Stamped  its  own  impress  on  the  little  flock; 
And  we,  the  children  of  the  noble  dead, 
Still  thrill  with  reverence  for  Plymouth  Rock." 

Music :  "  AMERICA." 
Response,  by  GAMALIEL  BRADFORD. 

VIII.  The   Beneficiaries   of  the    Society :     The    needs    of    the 

children   only   strengthen   our   remembrance   of    the 
patriotic    deeds    of    the    fathers. 

Response,  by  WINSLOW  WARREN. 

IX.  Our  Brethren  of  the   other   State  Societies  :   May  the  sa- 

cred ties  of  sympathy  and  love  that  united  in  their 
infancy  the  thirteen  fair  sisters,  bind  ever  closer  to- 
gether the  seven  survivors  in  their  mature  years. 

Music :  "  YANKEE  DOODLE." 

Response,  by  the  Rev.  WINSLOW  WAREEN  SEVER, 
of   Poughkeepsie,  N".  Y. 

Closing  Remarks  by  the  Toast-master. 
Music :    "  AULD  LANG  SYNE." 


[The  two  poetical  sentiments  were  written  for  this  occasion  by  Mrs. 
Mary  C.  I).  Watson,  granddaughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Charles  S.  Daveis, 
President  of  the  Society]. 

6 


OFFICERS 


GENERAL  SOCIETY   OF   THE   CINCINNATI, 

ELECTED  AT  THE  TRIENKIAL  MEETING,  HELD  AT 
CHARLESTON,  S.  C.,  1881. 


HAMILTON     FISH, 

OF    NEW    YORK. 

$i«  -  1^  resibmt  -  $mrsl. 
WILLIAM     A.     IRVINE, 

OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 

JSecretarg-dtntral. 
GEORGE     W.     HARRIS, 

OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Assistant 
RICHARD     I.     MANNING, 


OF    MARYLAND. 


JOHN     SCHUYLER, 

OF    NEW    YORK. 

Assistant  Creasnrn-<$nreral 
HERMAN    BURGIN, 

OF     NEW   JERSEY. 


ORIGINAL    MEMBERS 


MASSACHUSETTS   SOCIETY  OF  THE   CINCINNATI. 


A. 

Abbott,  Josiah,  Ensign. 

Abbott,  Stephen,  Captain. 

Adams,  Henry,  Regimental  Surgeon. 

Alden,  Judah,  Captain. 

Allen,  Nathaniel  C.,  Captain. 

Allen,  Noah,  Major. 

Ames,  Jotham,  Lieutenant. 

Andrews,  William,  Lieutenant. 

Armstrong,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 

Ashley,  Moses,  Major. 

Austin,  John,  Lieutenant. 

B. 

Bailey,  Adams,  Captain. 

Bailey,  Luther,  Captain. 

Balcom,  Joseph,  Lieutenant. 

Baldwin,  Jeduthun,  Colonel. 

Ballantine,  Ebenezer,  Surgeon's  Mate. 

Ballard.  William  H.,  Major. 

Bancroft,  James,  Lieutenant. 

Barlow,  Joel,  Chaplain. 

Bassett,    Barachiah,   Lieut-Colonel. 

Baury  de  Bellerive,  Captain. 

Baylies,  Hodijah,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Benson,  Joshua,  Captain. 

Blake,  Edward,  Lieutenant. 

Blanchard,  John,  Captain. 

Bowles,  Ralph  H.,  Lieutenant  and 

Adjutant. 

Bowman,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 
Bradford,  Andrew,  Lieutenant. 
Bradford,  Gamaliel,  Colonel. 
Bradford,  Gamaliel,  Lieutenant. 
Bradford,  Robert,  Captain. 
Bramhall,  Joshua,  Lieutenant. 


Brigham,  Origen,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Brooks,  John,  Lieutenant-Colonel- 
Commandant. 

Brown,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant. 
Brown,  Oliver,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Bugbee,  Edward,  Lieutenant. 
Bullard,  Asa,  Lieutenant. 
Burbeck,  Henry,  Captain. 
Burnham,  John,  Major. 
Bussey,  Isaiah,  Captain-Lieutenant. 


C. 


Callender,  John,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Carleton,  Moses,  Lieutenant. 
Carleton,  Osgood,  Lieutenant. 
Castaing,  Peter,  Lieutenant. 
Chambers,  Matthew,  Captain. 
Chapin,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 
Clap,  Caleb,  Captain. 
Clap,  Joshua,  Lieutenant. 
Clayes,  Peter,  Captain. 
Cobb,  David,  Lieutenant- Colonel: 

Commandant. 
Cogswell,  Amos,  Captain. 
Cogswell,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 
Cogswell,  Thomas,  Major. 
Condy,  Thomas  H.,  Lieutenant. 
Cook,  David,  Captain. 
Cooper,  Ezekiel,  Captain. 
Cooper,  Samuel,  Adjutant. 
Crane,  John,  Colonel. 
Crane,  John,  Regimental  Surgeon. 
Crocker,  Joseph,  Captain. 
Crowley,  Florence,  Lieutenant. 
Gushing,  Nathaniel,  Captain. 
Gushing,  Thomas,  Lieutenant. 


44 


D. 

Dana,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 

Danfortli,  Joshua,  Lieutenant. 

Daniels,  Japhetli,  Captain. 

Darby,  Samuel,  Major. 

Davis,     Ebenezer,     Lieutenant,    and 

Brigadier  Quarter-Master. 
Davis,  Jarnes,  Lieutenant. 
Davis,  Jolm,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant. 
Dean,  Walter,  Captain. 
Dix,  Nathan,  Captain. 
Dodge,  Levi,  Lieutenant. 
Drew,  Seth,  Major. 
Duffield,  John,  Regimental  Surgeon. 

E. 

Eaton,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 
Edwards,  Thomas,  Lieutenant  and 

Judge-Advocate. 
Egleston,  Azariah,  Lieutenant  and 

Pay-Master. 

Emerson,  Nehemiah,  Captain. 
Emery,  Ephraim,  Lieutenant  and 

Pay-Master. 

Eustis,  William,  Hospital  Surgeon. 
Everett,  Pelatiah,  Lieutenant. 
Eysandeau,  William,  Lieutenant. 


F. 


Felt,  Jonathan,  Captain. 

Finley,  James  E.  B.,  Regimental  Sur- 
geon. 

Finley,  Samuel,  Regimental  Surgeon. 

Fisk,  Joseph,  Regimental  Surgeon. 

Floyd,  Ebenezer,  Ensign. 

Foster,  Elisha,  Ensign. 

Foster,  Thomas,  Lieutenant. 

Fowles,  John,  Captain. 

Freeman,  Constant,  Captain-Lieuten- 
ant. 

Freeman,  Thomas  D.,  Lieutenant. 

Frink,  Samuel,  Ensign. 

Frost,  Samuel,  Captain. 

Frothingham,  Benjamin,  Captain. 

Frye,  Frederick,  Ensigu. 

Fuller,  John,  Captain. 


G. 

Gardner,  James,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Garrett,  Andrew,  Lieutenant. 
George,  John,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Gibbs,  Caleb,  Major. 
Gilbert,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 
Goodale,  Nathan,  Captain. 
Goodwin,  F.  L.  B.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Greaton,  John,  Brigadier-General. 
Greaton,  John  W.,  Ensign! 
Greaton,  Richard  H.,  Ensign. 
Green,  Francis,  Captain. 
Greenleaf,  William,  Lieutenant. 
Gridley,  John,  Captain-Lieutenant. 

H. 

Hall,  James,  Lieutenant. 
Hamlin,  Africa,  Ensign. 
Hancock,  Belcher,  Captain. 
Hart,  John,  Regimental  Surgeon. 
Hartshorn,  Thomas,  Captain. 
Harvey,  Elisha,  Captain-Lieutenant, 
Haskell,  Elnathan,  Captain. 
Haskell,  Jonathan,  Lieutenant. 
Hastings,  John,  Captain. 
Heath,  William,  Major-General. 
Hey  wood,  Benjamin,  Captain. 
Hildreth,  William,  Lieutenant. 
Hill,  Jeremiah,  Lieutenant. 
Hinds,  Bartlett,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Hiwell,  John,    Lieutenant,   and   In- 
spector of  Music. 
Hobby,  John,  Captain. 
Holbrook,  David,  Captain. 
Holden,  Aaron,  Captain. 
Holden,  Abel,  Captain.- 
Holden,  John,  Lieutenant. 
Holden,  Levi,  Lieutenant. 
Holland,  Ivory,  Lieutenant. 
Holland,  Park,  Lieutenant. 
Hollister,  Jesse,  Captain. 
Homans,  John,  Surgeon. 
Hooker,  Zibeon,  Lieutenant. 
Horton,  Elisha,  Ensign, 
Houdin,  M.  G.,  Captain. 
Howe,  Richard  S.,  Ensign. 
Hull,  William,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Hunt,  Ephraim,  Lieutenant. 


Hunt,  Thomas,  Captain. 
Hurcl,  John,  Ensign. 

I. 

Ingersoll,  George,  Lieutenant. 
J. 

Jackson,  Amasa,  Ensign. 
Jackson,  Charles,  Ensign. 
Jackson,  Daniel,  Lieutenant. 
Jackson,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant. 
Jackson,  Henry,  Colonel. 
Jackson,  Michael,  Colonel. 
Jackson,  Michael,  Lieutenant. 
Jackson,  Simon,  Captain. 
Jackson,  Thomas,  Captain. 
Jefferds,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 
Johnston,  John,  Captain. 

K. 

Killam,  Joseph,  Captain. 
King,  Zebulon,  Captain. 
Knapp,  Moses,  Major. 
Knowles,  Charles,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Knox,  Henry,  Major-General. 

L. 

Lamed,  Simon,  Captain. 
Laughton,  William,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Leavensworth,    Nathaniel,   Surgeon's 

Mate. 

Lee,  Daniel,  Captain. 
Lee,  William  R.,  Colonel. 
Leland,  Joseph,  Lieutenant. 
Leonard,  Jacob,  Ensign. 
Lillie,  John,  Captain. 
Lincoln,  Benjamin,  Major-General. 
Lincoln,  Rufus,  Captain. 
Liswell,  John,  Lieutenant. 
Lockwood,  William,  Chaplain. 
Lord,  Jeremiah,  Ensign. 
Lovell,  James,  Lieutenant. 
Lunt,  Daniel,  Captain. 
Lyman,  Cornelius,  Ensign. 

M. 

M'Cay,  Daniel,  Ensign. 
McKendry,  William,  Lieutenant. 
Marble,  Henry,  Lieutenant. 
Mason,  David,  Jr.,  Lieutenant 


Maxwell,  Hugh,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Maynard,   John,    Lieutenant    and 

Quarter-Master. 
Maynard,  Jonathan,  Captain. 
Maynard,  William,  Captain. 
Means,  James,  Captain. 
Mellish,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 
Miller,  Jeremiah,  Captain. 
Miller,  Joseph,  Lieutenant. 
Mills,  John,  Captain. 
Mills,  William,  Captain. 
Mooars,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 
Moore,  William,  Captain. 
Moore,  William,  Lieutenant. 
Morgan,  Benjamin,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Morrel,  Amos,  Major. 
Morton,  Silas,  Lieutenant. 
Myrick,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 

N. 

Nason,    Nathaniel,     Lieutenant    and 

Quarter-Master. 
Nelson,  Henry,  Lieutenant. 
Newhall,  Ezra,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Newman,  Samuel,  Lieutenant. 
Nicholson,    Samuel,    Captain    in    the 

Navy. 

Nixon,  Thomas,  Colonel. 
North,  William,  Captain. 

O. 

Oliver,  Alexander,  Ensign. 
Oliver,  Robert,  Major. 

P. 

Pardee,  Aaron,  Lieutenant. 
Parker,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 
Parker,  Elias,  Lieutenant. 
Paterson,  John,  Brigadier-General. 
Peabody,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant. 
Peirce,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 
Peirce,  John,  Captain-Lieutenant. 
Peirce,  Silas,  Captain. 
Perkins,  William,  Major. 
Peters,  Andrew,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Pettingill,  Joseph,  Major. 
Phelon,  Edward,  Lieutenant. 
Phelon,  John,  Lieutenant. 
Phelon,  Patrick,  Lieutenant. 


46 


Pike,  Benjamin,  Captain. 

Pope,  Isaac,  Major. 

Popkin,  John,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Porter,    Benjamin    Jones,    Surgeon's 

Mate. 

Pratt,  Joel,  Lieutenant. 
Prescott,  Joseph,  Hospital  Mate. 
Putnam,  Rufus,  Brigadier-General. 

B. 

Randall,  Thomas,  Captain. 
Rawson,  Jeduthun,  Ensign. 
Reab,  George,  Lieutenant. 
Remick,  Timothy,  Captain. 
Rice,  Nathan,  Major. 
Rice,  Oliver,  Lieutenant. 
Richardson,    Abijah,    Regimental 

Surgeon. 

Rickard,  William,  Lieutenant. 
Ripley,  Hezekiah,  Lieutenant. 
Rouse,  Oliver,  Captain. 
Howe,  John,  Ensign. 


Sampson,  Crocker,  Lieutenant. 
Sargeant,  Winthrop,  Captain. 
Satterlee,  William,  Major. 
Savage,  Henry,  Lieutenant. 
Savage,  Joseph,  Captain. 
Sawyer,  James,  Ensign. 
Scammell,  Samuel  L.,  Ensign. 
Scott,  James,  Ensign. 
Selden,  Charles,  Lieutenant. 
Sever,  James,  Ensign. 
Sewall,  Henry,  Captain. 
Seward,  Thomas,  Captain. 
Shaw,  Samuel,  Captain. 
Shepherd,  William,  Colonel. 
Shepherd,  William,  Ensign. 
Shute,  Daniel,  Regimental  Surgeon. 
Smith,  Ebenezer,  Captain. 
Smith,  Ebenezer,  Captain. 
Smith,  John  K.,  Captain. 
Smith,  Joseph,  Lieutenant. 
Smith,  Josiali,  Lieutenant. 
Smith,  Simeon,  Captain. 
Smith,  Sylvanus,  Captain. 
Spring,  Simeon,  Lieutenant. 
Sprout,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant-Colonel- 
Commandant. 


Stacey,' William,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Stafford,  John  R.,  Ensign. 
Stephens,  William,  Captain. 
Stocker,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant. 
Stone,  Jonathan,  Captain. 
Stone,  Nathaniel,  Lieutenant. 
Storer,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant  and 

Pay-Master. 
Story,  John. 

Story,  William,  Captain. 
Sumner,  Job,  Major. 
Swan,  Caleb,  Ensign. 

T. 

Taylor,  Othniel,  Captain. 

Taylor,  Tertius,  Lieutenant. 

Taylor,  William,  Lieutenant  and 
Quarter-Master. 

Thacher,  James,  Regimental  Surgeon. 

Thatcher,  Nathaniel,  Lieutenant. 

Thomas,  John,  Regimental  Surgeon. 

Thomas,  Joseph,  Captain. 

Thomas,   Thaddeus,   Lieutenant- 
Colonel. 

Tisdale,  James,  Capvain. 

Torrey,  William,  Lieutenant  and 
Adjutant. 

Town,  Jacob,  Lieutenant. 

Townsend,  David,  Hospital  Surgeon. 

Treadwell,  William,  Captain. 

Trescott,  Lemuel,  Major. 

Trowbridge,  Luther,  Lieutenant. 

Trotter,  John,  Captain. 

Tucker,  Joseph,  Lieutenant  and 
Pay-Master. 

Tudor,  William,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
and  Judge -Advocate-General. 

Tupper,  Anselm,   Lieutenant  and 
Adj  utant. 

Tupper,  Benjamin,  Colonel. 

Turner,  Jonathan,  Captain. 

Turner,  Marlbray,  Lieutenant. 

Turner,  Peleg,  Lieutenant. 

Turner,  Thomas,  Captain. 

V. 

Vose,  Elijah,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Vose,  Joseph,  Colonel. 
Vose,  Thomas,  Captain. 


47 


w. 

Wales,  Joseph,  Lieutenant. 
Walker,    Edward,    Lieutenant    and 

Pay-Master. 

Walker,  Robert,  Captain. 
Wardwell,  Joseph,  Lieutenant. 
Warren,  Adriel,  Lieutenant. 
Warren,  James,  Jr.,   Lieutenant  in 

the  Navy. 

Warren,  John,  Lieutenant. 
Watson,  William,  Captain. 
Wattles,  Mason,  Captain. 
Webb,  George,  Captain. 
Webber,  Daniel,  Lieutenant. 
Wellington,  Elisha,  Lieutenant. 
Wells,  Benjamin,  Lieutenant. 
Wells,  James,  Lieutenant. 
Wells,  Thomas,  Captain. 
Wesson,  James,  Colonel. 
White,  Edward,  Lieutenant. 


White,  Haffleld,  Captain. 
Whiting,  John,  Lieutenant. 
Whitwell,  Samuel,  Surgeon. 
Wild,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant. 
Williams,  Abraham,  Captain. 
Williams,  Ebenezer,  Lieutenant. 
Williams,  John,  Captain. 
Williams,  Joseph,  Captain. 
Williams,  Robert,  Lieutenant  and 

Pay-Master. 

Wing,  Jonathan,  Ensign. 
Winslow,  John,  Captain. 
Woodbridge,  Christopher,  Captain. 
Woodward,  Samuel,  Surgeon's  Mate. 

Y. 

Yoeman,  John,  Lieutenant. 


WHOLE  NUMBER,  334. 


THE 

MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY  OF  THE   CINCINNATI. 

1883. 


OFFICERS. 


Itiresitfmt. 
SAMUEL    C.    COBB. 

Utre^restftent. 
CHARLES   D.   HOMANS. 

Secretarg. 
FRANCIS   W.   PALFREY. 

treasurer. 
WINSLOW  WARREN. 

Assistant  treasurer. 
GAMALIEL   BRADFORD. 

Assistant  Secretarg. 
DAVID   G.   HASKINS,  JR. 


Committee. 


WILLIAM  PERKINS. 
SAMUEL  K.  LOTHROP. 
EDWARD  S.  MOSELEY. 
WILLIAM  RAYMOND  LEE. 
BENJAMIN  A.  GOULD. 
HENRY  J.  HUNT. 


J.    HUNTINGTON    WoLCOTT. 

CHARLES  W.  STOUEY. 
BENJAMIN  H.  GREENE. 
ALEXANDER  WILLIAMS. 
J.  COLLINS  WARREN. 
BENJAMIN  LINCOLN. 


MEMBERS 

OF   THE 

MASSACHUSETTS   SOCIETY  OF  THE   CINCINNATI. 

1883. 


Samuel  Alden. 
Leonard  Arnold. 
S.  D.  Bailey. 
Walter  L.  Bailey. 
Edmund  L.  Baylies. 
Frederic  F.  Baury. 
Charles  Upham  Bell. 
Stephen  W.  Bowles. 
Gamaliel  Bradford. 
Robert  F.  Bradford. 
Thomas  G.  Bradford. 
James  Bullard. 
F.  Prescott  Bullock. 
William  H.  Burbeck. 
Thomas  L.  Casey. 
William  Chase. 
Charles  B.  Clapp. 
Samuel  C.  Clarke. 
Samuel  C.  Cobb. 
George  H.  Cooper. 
Lewis  C.  Crocker. 
Prentiss  Cummings. 
Charles  H.  Davis. 
John  J.  Doland. 
Clement  Drew. 
Charles  M.  Eaton. 
John  Edwards. 
Nathaniel  W.  Emerson. 
William  Eustis. 


Benjamin  A.  Gould. 
Benjamin  H.  Greene. 
David  G.  Haskins,  Jr. 
Edmund  T.  Hastings. 
John  G.  Heywood. 
J.  Russell  Hodge. 
Charles  D.  Homans. 
Henry  J.  Hunt. 
Francis  Jackson. 
Alexander  B.  Keyes. 
Gilbert  C.  Knapp. 
Amos  A.  Lawrence. 
Charles  0.  Lawton. 
William  Raymond  Lee. 
Daniel  C.  Lillie. 
Benjamin  Lincoln. 
Samuel  K.  Lothrop. 
Mansfield  Lovell. 
William  M.  Maxwell. 
George  A.  McKendry. 
John  W.  Moore. 
Edward  S.  Moseley. 
J.  W.  A.  Nicholson. 
Marcellus  Nixon. 
Edward  K.  O'Brien. 
Francis  W.  Palfrey. 
Henry  A.  Peirce. 
William  Perkins. 
Andrew  P.  Perry. 


50 


John  L.  Peters. 
John  Pickering. 
Josiah  Pierce. 
William  Pitt  Preble. 
Nathan  P.  Rice. 
George  D.  Richardson. 
William  H.  Savage. 
George  A.  Sawyer. 
Winslow  Warren  Sever. 
Richard  T.  Seward. 
Daniel  Shute. 
Henry  Knox  Sikes. 
William  H.  Smith. 
John  J.  Soren. 
Henry  H.  Sproat. 
John  T.  Stoddard. 
Charles  W.  Storey. 


Edwin  V.  Sumner. 
Charles  H.  Thompson. 
William  Torrey. 
E.  D.  Townsend. 
George  C.  Trumbull. 
Frederick  Tudor. 
Joseph  B.  Upham. 
James  G.  Vose. 
Thomas  S.  Vose. 
William  H.  Wardwell. 
J.  Collins  Warren. 
Winslow  Warren. 
George  Peabody  Wetmore. 
William  D.  Whiting. 
Charles  Tidd  Wild. 
Alexander  Williams. 
J.  Huntington  Wolcott. 


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